Madrid

Life in Madrid is centered around talking, toasting and tapas-eating. In a walk through this crowded and social city, your Tour Director will help you get to know the lay of the land. Then stroll over to the Puerta del Sol, the bustling city center. Next, you'll relax at the Plaza Mayor, a grand square where every sort of human drama has taken place-trails of faith, public burnings of heretics, royal marriages, the canonization of saints and countless balls and bullfights. End at the Plaza de España for a stop at an outdoor café.

Visit the Museo del Prado, home of works by Spain's great masters, including Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, and El Greco.

Take a taste of Spain's cultural, political, and economic center with a tour led by a licensed local guide. See Madrid's mix of traditional and modern as you visit the Royal Palace, an 18th-century masterpiece. The enormous Baroque palace currently has more rooms (2,800) than any other European palace, but it was originally supposed to be four times as large. The palace is dripping with porcelain, jeweled clocks, amazing ceiling frescoes — the most magnificent, in the Throne Room, was done by the Venetian artist Tiepolo when he was in his seventies. Next take a look at the Neoclassical architecture of the Prado Museum and the Puerta de Alcala triumphal arch, built to honor Carlos III’s entry into Spain.

Originating from gypsy music and dance in Southern Spain, flamenco dancing has become a Spanish institution. Dancers use intricate footwork and elaborate arm gestures to convey the mood of the music, which can range from lamentation to celebration.

In the mountains northwest of Madrid, El Escorial was commissioned by Philip II as a monastery and palace. Though impressively enormous, El Escorial is almost stark — the undecorated rooms that Philip occupied show the king’s simple tastes. (Later kings added just a bit more decoration!) Many Spaniards consider this feat of architectural excess the eighth wonder of the world. Continue on to beautiful medieval Segovia for the 2,000-year-old, 30-meter-high Roman aqueduct and the almost Disney fairytale castle of the Alcazar, extensively rebuilt in 1862 in an exaggerated version of the 15th-century original. See the Valley of the Fallen, a monument to those who died in the Spanish Civil War.

Long the spiritual capital of Spain, Toledo still captures the heart with its spectacular surround of ocher-colored mountains. El Greco created some of his greatest works here, including his most famous painting, "The Burial of Count Orgaz." You’ll also see the city's cathedral, St. Mary's Synagogue, and the Church of Santo Tomé.

Tapas purportedly originated when bartenders set a small plate ("tapa") over patrons' glasses of sherry and wine to keep the flies out. The bartenders starting piling the plate with cold cuts, olives, or salad, and the bite-size snack was born. (We're unsure how they kept the flies out of the cold-cuts... maybe that's how the sandwich was invented?) Over time these working-class snacks have become more elaborate, with each region adding its own specialties and cooking techniques to create unique tastes and combinations.

The past and present meet in Salamanca. Like many great medieval cities, Salamanca has a multitude of towering cathedrals and convents. Yet, the city’s university students give it a hip, international vibe. One of the leading institutions of Europe, the university has attracted countless Spanish intellectuals, including Antonia de Nebrija and Miguel de Unamuno.